


Yuletide and Holly

by Mercury Starlight (WoolandWater)



Series: Advent Challenge 2010 [4]
Category: Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Cousin Incest, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-04
Updated: 2010-12-04
Packaged: 2017-10-23 22:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/255754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WoolandWater/pseuds/Mercury%20Starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little snapshot of Merry and Pippin enjoying Yuletide celebrations. This includes a little Hobbit tradition that I just made up a couple of days ago for another fic. XD<br/>From the prompt: "Pre-quest fluff"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yuletide and Holly

Buckland was thoroughly decorated in reds and greens, bows and wreaths everywhere. The luscious smells of roasted dinners and spiced pies filled the air. Merry leaned in the doorway of Brandy Hall, watching his townsfolk make ready their yearly celebrations. He searched the sky; it looked like snow, and he couldn't wait to watch it fall. A group of children skipped by, singing an old carol he knew well. He smiled at the song and looked off to the West, awaiting the coming night and Pippin's arrival. He was happy they'd be spending Yuletide together. Pippin had been traveling with his father most of the year and the two had hardly seen each other. He missed their time together, their daylight games and nighttime tweenage explorations. They'd first kissed last summer, solidifying what had been a childhood-friendship-turned-budding-romance, and since then they'd been learning the ways of love together.

He missed Pippin's cheery smile, the way his eyes sparkled, the look of wonder on his face when he was fascinated by something, the sound of his laughter. He also worried, though he tried not to, how long their romance would be allowed to last. He knew that while Shirefolk were rather permissive regarding a tweenager's choice of lover, there would be talk, and possible ostracism, if each did not eventually court someone who could bear him an heir. The situation would be especially dire for Pippin and himself; both heirs to the most prominent hobbits in the Shire. While Pippin had nearly a decade to worry about it, Merry would be thirty next year, and it seemed every year that passed went more quickly than the last. He couldn't bear the thought of losing the love he'd found with Pippin. 'Ah well,' he thought, 'We've three, nearly four years to figure out what to do about it. If we have to be discreet after I come of age, so be it. Others have done it before and will do again.'

Just after the sun slipped under the hills, a pony-drawn wagon cart came over the last ridge and he recognized it as the Thain's. He smiled broadly and headed down the road to meet it. As he approached, a figure jumped off the cart and he knew it must be Pippin – only he would be so foolish as to jump off a moving wagon. Pippin rushed to greet him, throwing his arms around his neck and showering his face with kisses.

"Merry!" he cried happily, between kisses to his nose, his cheeks, his eyelids, "I shall never spend so long away from you again! I could not stand it!"

The Thain himself was driving the wagon, and he laughed at this display of affection as the cart moved on toward Brandy Hall. "Peregrin," he called out as he passed, "Give your cousin a chance to breathe!"

Merry laughed too and squeezed Pippin tightly. "It's all right, Pip," he said, still laughing and kissing back, "I shall breathe when I am older!"

****

In the morning, the two found it had snowed after all and the earth was covered in a blanket of white. After breakfast they rushed outside, eager to make snow fairies and have a snowball battle and otherwise behave as though they were again children rather than nearly adults. Merry always felt younger around Pippin, always felt as though they could somehow freeze time in the moments spent between them. He was ruminating on this when a snowball smacked into the side of his head, Pippin's musical laughter sailing from around the corner of the barn.

"Oh no you don't," Merry called out and gathered together some snow of his own.

He rushed around the corner and was met with two more stings against his chest – Pippin had thrown one from each hand and was now doubled over in laughter. Merry threw his own snowball aside and elected to tackle Pippin into the snow bank behind him instead. They fell to the ground, both giggling wildly, and Merry smashed Pip in the face with a handful of snow. Pippin gave a yelp and sputtered, then gave Merry a mischievous look and flipped their positions, pinning Merry into the snow with his hands above his head.

"Gotcha," he said triumphantly, "Won the battle again!" He investigated Merry carefully, eyes still full of mischief, but now with added consideration. He leaned in and kissed Merry eagerly, and Merry kissed back, squeezing his hands against Pippin's. They lingered, kissing deeper, and Pippin released one of Merry's hands to cup his face instead. Merry used his free hand to pull Pippin closer, arm wrapped around his waist. Pippin stopped momentarily and gave Merry a warm smile.

"Don't know about you, but I could do that all day," he whispered huskily.

Merry smiled back and kissed him again, "I'd love to Pip," he said, "But there's snow all down the back of my jacket and I'm freezing my arse off."

Pippin laughed at that and stood, helping Merry to his feet. They brushed the snow off of themselves and each other and embraced, kissing once more. Merry gave Pippin a mischievous look of his own.

"Besides," he said with a wink, "It's nearly elevenses, and there'll be bacon."

Pippin's eyes lit up and he had barely enough time to yell, "Race you!" before running off toward the kitchen door, Merry following behind, shaking his head and laughing anew.

****

Elevenses was lovely, lunch was better, and tea better still. Now the two sat comfortably in front of the roaring fireplace, decorating a Yule log and making other crafts besides. Pippin had made a head wreath for himself out of evergreen branches and various winter berries, and was nearly finished making one for Merry. He wrapped the last line of string around the wreath and stood back, admiring his handiwork. Then he picked it up and looked at Merry with mock seriousness.

"Kneel, Meriodoc Brandybuck," he said in as deep and regal a voice as he could manage. Merry rolled his eyes at him, but he kneeled just the same. Pippin placed the wreath on Merry's head and continued in the same voice, "Now rise, Merry, King of my Heart."

Merry stood and wrapped Pippin in his arms. He kissed him on the nose and regarded him with a smirk.

"You, my dear Pippin, are an incredibly silly goose," he said gently.

"Ah, well then, perhaps you'll have me for Yule dinner," Pippin said in a serious tone, but with the same smirk Merry held.

"Perhaps I will have you _after_ dinner," Merry said, waggling his eyebrows at the innuendo. Pippin laughed and pulled him in for another deep kiss.

****

The Yule log popped and crackled merrily in the fire, and the two snuggled under a blanket watching the slips of parchment burn away along with the string holding them to the log. Merry sighed contentedly and kissed the top of Pippin's head. Pippin snuggled closer and gave Merry a little squeeze. Then he looked up at him.

"Now that they've gone, what worries did you burn away, Merry?" he asked with an expression of childlike curiosity Merry had always found endearing.

' _Finding a wife and losing you_ ,' he thought, but only said, "Ah no, Pip, can't tell – they'll come back if I tell."

Pippin put his head on Merry's shoulder, "I burned away the thought of you coming of age and leaving me," he said, somewhat morosely, "And that one will come back no matter what."

Merry found he was surprised. He hadn't realized the thought had occurred to Pippin yet; he'd never mentioned it before. _'Of course it has,_ ' he told himself, scolding a bit, ' _Pip's childish, a little naïve perhaps, but never stupid._ ' He leaned forward, reached into the pile of leavings from their earlier craft session and pulled out an untouched sprig of holly. Pippin's eyes lit up as Merry handed it to him.

"My love, this holly holds a memory of me," Merry said sincerely, repeating the old phrase they both knew well, "Keep it close and know that I am with you."

Pippin took the holly gladly and threw his arms around Merry's neck, covering his face in kisses, "Oh Merry of course I'll keep it close! Of course I'll remember!" Then he stuck the sprig into the back of his head wreath and both laughed at that.

Merry held both his hands and looked into his eyes, "I shall never leave you, Pip, not if all the lasses in the Shire want my hand. Not if my mother forces me into marriage and my wife forces me into children. You are my heart, my sweet cousin. I could no sooner leave you than remove my arm."

"Oh, you mustn't do that, Merry" Pippin had assumed a horrified pose, but it was obvious he was teasing, "How would you hold a fork for dinner?"

They laughed and embraced again. Then they rose and both went to actually hold forks for dinner. They had goose, and their parents could not understand why the two laughed conspiratorially all through the meal.


End file.
